Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) technical guidance by WHO Responding to community spread of COVID-19 | Page 5

Responding to community spread of COVID-19: Interim guidance
Logistics, procurement and supply management
National laboratory systems
Summary
Logistics arrangements to support prevention and control
measures for COVF-19 should be reviewed and a surge in all
key areas anticipated (e.g. personnel, deployments,
procurement).
Summary
Faced with community transmission over large areas of the
country, laboratories will need to prepare for a significant
increase in the number of specimens to be tested for
COVID-19. Clinical diagnosis may be used for suspect
COVID-19 patient once transmission dynamics and clinical
disease are better understood. If COVID-19-specific
therapeutics are developed, then testing may again become
important for clinical management.
Recommended actions
 Implement supply chain control, security, transport,
management system for storage and distribution of
COVID-19 Disease Commodity Package (DCP),
patient kit reserves, and other essential supplies in-
country.
 Conduct regular review of supplies based on DCP
and COVID-19 patient kit; develop a central stock
reserve for case management of COVID-19.
If laboratories need to rescale testing, sentinel and non-
sentinel surveillance sites can be used to collect information
on disease trends, impacts, and virus evolution. Countries
should maintain access to a WHO-recognized international
COVID-19 referral laboratory and to necessary supplies,
reagents and protocols.
Disease commodity package
Lists critical supplies, with descriptions and technical
specifications per WHO guidelines for responding to an
outbreak of COVID-19.
Available in English and Russian.
Recommended actions
Highest priority:
 Prepare for an increase in the number of specimens
to be tested in the laboratory.
 Ensure access to reagents, supplies and laboratory
protocols.
 Maintain access to a WHO-recognized international
COVID-19 referral laboratory.
Maintenance of essential services
Summary
Community transmission of COVD-19 may lead to an
interruption of essential services in the communities affected
unless tested business continuity plans are in place.
Secondary priority:
 Participate in routine surveillance systems to
mmonitor disease trends, impacts, and virus
evolution; periodically share isolates with referral
laboratories following WHO guidance.
Recommended actions
 Adapt and implement national cross-sectoral
emergency preparedness business continuity plans,
where existing, to COVID-19.
 Work with UN agencies and other partners to
identify and support continuation of critical
functions (i.e. water and sanitation; fuel and energy;
food; telecommunications/internet; finance; law and
order; education; and transportation), necessary
resources, essential workforce.
Resources
WHO interim guidance for laboratory biosafety related to
COVID-19.
Interim guidance on laboratory biosafety, including
packaging and shipping requirements for sending specimens,
for stakeholders involved in COVID-19 laboratory work.
Available in English and Russian.
Resources
Whole-of-society pandemic readiness
Provides insight on maintaining essential services during a
disease outbreak.
Available in English.
Molecular assays to diagnose COVID-19
Technical guidance about molecular assay detection
protocols for COVID-19.
Available in English.
WHO-appointed COVID-19 referral laboratories
Countries without testing capacity can send samples to
WHO-appointed COVID-19 referral laboratories for testing.
This link contains the WHO-recognized referral laboratories,
shipping instructions, and booking form.
Available in English.
Research and development
Summary
Information for countries contributing to COVID-19
research and development in the areas of diagnostics,
vaccines and therapeutics.
Training: OpenWHO Emerging respiratory viruses, including
COVID-19.
Module B: Detecting Emerging Respiratory Viruses,
including COVID-19: Surveillance and Laboratory
Available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese,
Russian, and Spanish.
Recommended action
 If national capacity exists, join international
R&D blueprint efforts and WHO protocols for
special studies (compassionate use, Monitored
Emergency Use of Unregistered and Investigational
Interventions).
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